Review: "Small Change" by Sheila Roberts

I was at the library the other day, picking up my reserved copy of The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw, when I saw a copy of Small Change by Sheila Roberts that was calling my name. I picked it up for two reasons: 1. The cover was cute! 2. It's all about three friends who need to try and save money, for varying reasons. I love to save money! (Check out my blog all about saving money on food over at Duzzee.ca!).

Rachel, Tiffany, and Jessica all have money problems. Rachel is a divorced mother of two who is losing her temporary teaching job. Her ex-husband and his new girlfriend seem determined to buy their children's love, and Rachel feels the need to keep up with them. Tiffany has filled the hole in her life left by two miscarriages with "stuff", and shopping takes up much of her time. When her husband finds out about her secret credit cards, will he stick around? Jessica has been a stay-at-home mom for years, but her kids are all grown up now and her husband finds himself out of a job. Either Jessica finds something soon, or else they'll have to move to Ohio. These three women, both friends and neighbors, band together and are determined to find ways to save and make more money. The journey won't be easy, but in the end they may learn more about themselves than they thought.

Small Change was a fun, fairly entertaining book. I enjoyed the fact that the women in this book aren't perfect, and that they continue to slip up with their spending despite the fact that they are holding one another accountable. The three women are so different, and all have different problems related to money, so it's interesting to read about how they all cope. Roberts' humour shines through and she had me laughing out loud.

The only problem that I had with the book was that, at times, I found the dialogue a little stiff. I've read so many absolutely fantastic books lately that I find myself comparing anything that I read to them, so any stiffness in dialogue or writing bothers me. I also found it a little bothersome that whenever one of the women had a problem, they dealt with it by breaking out the chocolate. Don't ask me why I found that annoying because I've done that myself, but it seemed to me that it was the only way that they dealt with things.

Overall I would recommend this one if you're looking for a light beach read. There are some serious moments in here, but rest assured that there is a happy ending.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Fans of women's fiction
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010